At 1pm on Sunday January 20th, The Georgian Bay Folk Society will host its second annual curated open showcase at Heartwood Concert Hall in Owen Sound. Nine acts from across Ontario will have the opportunity to perform a 15 minute set knowing that James Keelaghan – the Artistic Director of the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival – is in the audience. Admission is by donation for audience members and all after-cost expenses will go directly to the musicians.

“The best way for an Artistic Director to decide whether an act will be a good fit for a festival is to see them live but there are so many acts out there that it’s hard for an AD to see them all,” said Jon Farmer, a long time Summerfolk volunteer and showcase organizer. “We wanted to make it easier for James to see musicians in person and give those musicians a chance to develop a local audience in the process”.

The line-up for Sunday’s event includes local Grey Bruce artists as well as bands from as far away as Orangeville and Hamilton. Musicians applied online during December and the organizers worked with Keelaghan to select performers of interest. There is no guarantee that any of the acts will be booked for Summerfolk 2019 although two acts from the 2018 show case made it on to the festival line up last year.

This year the show case will feature:
Falcon Jane
The Great Canadian Swampstompers
Sammy Duke
SEA and Robert Menzies
Long Range Hustle
Piper & Carson
Katey Gatta
Shipyard Kitchen Party
Kamden Arlie Gillespie

Doors will open at 12:30pm and the music will run from 1:00 – 4:00pm with two short intermissions. Entry will be on a first come basis but Farmer said that the recent increase in Heartwood Hall’s capacity will let them share great music with even more people. For more information about the showcase, visit www.summerfolk.org.

Source: Press Release